Zone Conference #3, Novo Mundo/Portao & Luz

Happy Halloween!  We did it up right with a zone conference in Portao with the Novo Portao and Luz zones.

Guarapuava Zone Conference!

 It is always a pleasure to travel out to our district in Guarapuava.  Today we had zone conference and were treated to training by the McKinney's, Homemade tacos and rice krispy treats by the Davis' and Sister Cordon's marvelous lessons. (Front row, l to r: Elder and Sister Davis, Sister & Presidente Cordon, Sister & Elder McKinney; Back row, l to r: Elders Een, Alves, Smith, Ribeiro, Hokanson, Lopez, Brooksby, Affonso, Borges, and Grigg.)

Sister Cordon, Sister & Elder McKinney, Sister & Elder Davis.  Boy do couples make a difference.  We need many more!  

Elder Grigg enjoying homemade Rice Krispy treats made by Elder and Sister Davis.

Dinner with Elder and Sister Petla, Temple Presidency

Elder and Sister Petla invited the temple presidency and our family to a dinner at their home.  It was a spectacular evening with great food and even better company.  We are so blessed to work with some of the finest leaders in the Church. Present were Presidents and Sisters Arias, Reghn, Hepworth, Elder and Irma Petla, and our family.

Sister Castellano, Tchau!!

Hoje eu e Sister Cordon levamos a Sister Castellano pelo aeroporto depois de almorcar com ela e sua tia aqui na Curitiba. Sister Castellano ficou mais uma semana conosco para assistir a Tur da Missao com o Presidente Godoy e para visitar com o tio e tia dela que recentemente se mudaram a Curitiba do Florida nos Estados Unidos.  Tive a oportunidade de falar com o pai dela essa manha e ele e bem animado pela chegada dela essa noite!!

Mission Tour with President Carlos Godoy

Presidente Carlos Godoy arrived on the evening of Wednesday, October 17 for a two day mission tour of the Brasil Curitiba Mission.  We drove out to Ponta Grossa and held our first conference session on Thursday the 18th with our two Ponta Grossa and one Guarapuava zones.  We began with a leadership meeting from 8-9am followed by a general training session that went until 1pm.  Sister Cordon and I spoke during the first hour along with the testimony of one of our newest missionaries, Elder Grigg.  Presidente Godoy then led a three hour training session which was the highlight of the day.  Following the ever popular lunch by Irma Bernadette, Presidente Godoy interviewed several missionaries and we returned to Curitiba.  Friday we followed the same basic schedule in Curitiba only today we had 9 zones instead of just three.  It was a huge session with some 130 missionaries.  It was a huge blessing to the mission to receive training from a member of the Brazil Area Presidency.

New Missionaries for Parana!!!!!

Left to Right: Sister Da Rosa, Elders Gonzalez, Pereira, Grigg, Oaks, Mullins, and Morales. 

We received 7 great missionaries today who arrived excited and ready to serve the Lord here in Parana.  The bottom picture is of our new missionaries with their trainers.  The new training program of the Church is a real blessing to our mission.  Each new missionary has an additional hour of companionship study each day with a specific training schedule that helps not only the new missionary, but the trainer as well, focus on their purpose.

Ja Temos Saudades!!

How come it gets harder each transfer to say goodbye?  Parents think it is hard to say goodbye but they only have to do it once.  We do it each 6 weeks and our missionaries really become sons and daughters to us during their service here.  I feel like Helaman with his two thousand stripling warriors.  Today these guerreiros do Senhor returned home ready to take on life and its challenges!  These missionaries made a huge difference and touched hundreds of lives in this great work of the Lord.  (Left to Right: Elders Harper, Dos Santos, Sister Brandao, Elder Hartley, Sister Cardoso, Elder Medeiros, Sister Leandro, Elder Constante (hiding), Elder Buerkle, Sister Castellano, Sister de Araujo, Elders Sardinha and Justino.)

Zone Leader Council Meeting - October, 2012